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Sally Morgan Ambelin Kwaymullina Scholastic ISBN 9781742991122 RRP $24.99 Age 3+ Date of publication July 2017 Reviewer Megan Stuart This book promotes grandparents, wisdom, creativity and imagination. It’s a lovely story and beautifully illustrated. It’s a book you can read aloud and then discuss. Advertisements

Courtney Adamo and Esther Van de Paal Lizzy Stewart Allen & Unwin ISBN 9781847808172 RRP $24.99 Age 4+ Date of publication 26 April 2017 Reviewer Megan Stuart Two successful bloggers, Courtney Adamo and Ester Van de Paal have published ( Months. The book illustrated by Lizzy Stewart (and endorsed by Dr Pippa Kyle) is designed for families to share a pregnancy and prepare for a new family member. The book discusses the mother and the baby but also gives interesting […]

Rob Palmer Scholastic Australia ISBN 9781743625743 RRP $19.99 Age 8+ Date of publication November 2016 Reviewer Megan Stuart With the Summer holidays just around the corner this book offers an opportunity for some DIY. The book gives expert tips for reasonably simple projects which are reasonably simple to make. There are also colour illustrations and photographs to help. The author Rob Palmer is known to many because of his TV appearances on shows such as “Better Homes and Gardens” and […]

Isla Fisher Templar publishing ISBN 9781848125339 RRP $14.99 Age 6 – 9 years Date of publication August 2016 Reviewer Flavia Guarino Marge in Charge is a charming comedy of near misses, mishaps, mischief and mayhem. It is a delightful collection of three short stories about the misadventures of young Jemima, her brother Jake and their new babysitter Marge. Narrated from the point of view of a very sensible 7 year old girl, Jemima, Marge in Charge explores the ways young children […]

P Crumble Nathaniel Eckstrom Scholastic Australia ISBN 9781760156930 Age 3+ Date of publication: September 2016 Reviewer Megan Stuart We are happy to welcome Me and Moo back into our lives …. however the gift of Roar into the household doesn’t prove to be easy. However a satisfactory solution is found. This book deals in a simple but effective way about having pets and friends and about family life.

Leah Russack Anil Tortop Scholastic Australia ISBN 9781760158545 RRP $16.99 Age 4+ Date of publication April 2016 Reviewer Megan Stuart Really a book is a suitable gift for any occasion and with Mother’s Day getting closer SUPERMUM would be a very flattering gift for any mum. The mother featured in this dynamically illustrated story is pretty fantastic. As the story says “she can do amazing things” and Mother’s Day might be a good opportunity to remind your children just how amazing their mother is. […]

Sally Morgan and Ezekiel Kwaymullina llustrator Craig Smith Scholastic Australia ISBN: 9781742990330 RRP: $9.99 Age : 6+ Key Words: family, humour, juvenile fiction Published: August, 2014 Reviewer: Debbie Berger Jack has found the perfect way to get out of helping around the house: making a mess of every chore he is asked to complete. His one rule is: if you parents ask you to do something, do it badly. He manages to get out of showering, sweeping leaves off the […]

Black Dog Books Ananda Braxton-Smith Secrets of Carrick bk 3 ISBN: 9781742032184 RRP: $1895 Age : 12+ Key Words: Fantasy, Family, Fear, Loss Published: 1st May 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Mally is different from the rest of her family. Her brothers and sisters are brave, fearless, they will do what ever they want, when ever they want. Nothing holds them back. Mally is just the opposite, she has so many fears, so many secrets. She can’t go near the water and […]

Anna Branford & Linda Catchlove 9781921977589 ISBN: 9781921977589 RRP: $24.95 Age: 2+ Key Words: Family, Siblings, Pregnancy, Fairies Published: 1st Feb 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Lilli-Pilli’s mother is going to have a baby. Lilli-Pilli is very excited about having a baby sister, she knows it is going to be a sister because she can feel it in her wings. Lilli-Pilli is helping her dad make the baby’s crib and he sends her out to collect some soft things to put in […]

Chris Houghton Walker Books ISBN: 9781406342321 RRP: $24.95 Age: 3+ Key Words: Animal Stories Published: 1st March 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell There in the woods is a pretty bird, now Shh! because they have a plan to catch this bird. Unfortunately things don’t go quite according to plan. The three big companions think they know best, but sometimes it’s the little people that have the good ideas. This is a very simple little story accompanied by very stylised illustrations. The text […]

Fiona Regan & Louis Shea Scholastic Double Trouble bk 1 ISBN: 9781742838564 RRP: $3.99 Key Words: Pranks, Twins, Family, School Age: 6+ Published: 1st Feb 2014 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Tommy and Coop are twins who’s favourite thing to do is to pull pranks on people. They love pranking their parents, though it may sometimes have consequences they don’t like. They also love to prank at school, and this time they end up having to stay back afterwards to help clean up, […]

Megan McDonald & Peter H Reynolds Candlewick Press Stink bk 3 ISBN: 9780763664244 RRP: $9.99 Age: 6+ Key Words: Humour, Smelly Published: 12th Feb 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Stink is super excited to be going on the school excursion because they are going to the Everybody Stinks exhibit at the Science Museum. Whilst there Stink discovers he has an amazing gift, he has a really good nose, he can tell the difference between all sorts of super smelly things. Stink decides […]

Megan McDonald & Peter H Reynolds Candlewick Press Stink bk 2 ISBN: 9780763664206 RRP: $9.99 Age: 6+ Key Words: Humour, Family, Friends Published: 12th Feb 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Stink uses his money to get himself a jawbreaker, but he soon finds himself disappointed as it doesn’t break his jaw. Stink decides his best course of action is to write a letter of complaint to the company that makes the jawbreakers. This turns out better than he hoped because he gets […]

Megan McDonald & Peter H Reynolds Candlewick Press Stink bk 1 ISBN: 9780763664268 RRP: $9.99 Age 6+ Key Words: School Stories, Humour Published : 12th Feb 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Stink gets measured every morning, Stink is desperate to grow but the result is always the same. Until the one day it is different, the only problem is the difference is in the wrong direction, is it possible that Stink is shrinking? Stink gets to take the class newt home one […]

Ambelin Kwaymullina Walker Books The Tribe bk 2 ISBN: 9781921720093 RRP: $19.95 Age: 12+ Key Words: Dystopia, Friendship, Rebellion, Published: 1st Nov 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Ashala Wolf has struggled since returning to the Tribe but she needs to leave the wolf pack where she has found solace and return to leading her people because her best friend Ember Crow has gone missing. Ashala will not rest until Ember is found and safe with friends. Ashala struggles to control her sleepwalking […]

Sam McBratney Walker Books ISBN: 9781406323108 RRP: $24.95 Age: 3+ Key Words: Love, Family Published: 1st Aug 2012 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell A wonderful picture book containing four stories from the creator of the classic Guess How Much I Love You. Little Nutbrown Hare is a little older now and loves to discover new places. The Hiding Tree – he plays a game of hide and seek with Big Nutbrown Hare and overcomes a fear. On Cloudy Mountain – teaches him the […]

Leonie Norrington/Beth Norling Scholastic Mates Reading Scheme ISBN: 9781742990224 RRP: $12.99 Age: 7+ Key Words: Family, Growing Up Published: 1st December 2013 Reviewed By: Kylie Calwell Rueben is one of nine children, every time the family goes anywhere his mum has to count them all to make sure no one gets left behind. Then there are ten, and the whole family goes down to the beach, to fish and relax. Reuben is now included in some of the things the bigger […]

Jude Watson Scholastic 39 Clues Unstoppable bk 1 ISBN: 9780545521376 RRP: $17.99 Age: 8+ Key Words: Action, Adventure Published: 3rd Oct 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Dan and Amy Cahill finally think it’s over and they can go back to having a normal kind of life, or at least as normal as can be. Then strange things start to happen, men attack them out of nowhere and suddenly their whole lives are under attack. A tiny mistake has lead them to a […]

Mark Pardoe Penguin ISBN: 9780143306771 RRP: $16.99 Age: 10+ Key Words: Life, School, Friends Published: 24 July 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Andy Flegg wants an X-box, to get one his mother has told him he has to write in a journal everyday. Andy is not impressed. Some entries are really short and then things start happening. A cute girl starts in his class, his parents are fighting and his dog gets sick. Then his dog gets a bit better, his parents get […]

David Baldacci Cahills vs Vespers bk 6 Scholastic ISBN: 9780545298445 RRP: $17.99 Age: 9+ Key Words: Action, Crime, Family Published: 4th April 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell It is now the end. The Vespers have all they need to build Archimedes Doomsday Machine. The Cahill’s don’t have their hostages back and the world may be about to end. Amy, Dan, Jake and Atticus are determined not to give up, it is simply not in their nature. Vesper One has managed to get […]

Sherryl Clark Our Australian Girl Series Puffin ISBN: 9780143305361 RRP: $14.95 Age: 8+ Key Words: History, Australian Themes Published: 31st January 2011 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell It is the turn of the century and Rose lives in a big house in Melbourne. Rose is a little different to other girls, she doesn’t want to get all dressed up and wear corsets and do needlepoint, Rose wants to explore, learn, go on adventures and play cricket. Her mother will not agree to any […]

Mal Peet & PJ Lynch Walker Books ISBN: 9781406337075 RRP: $29.95 Age: 7+ Key Words: Family, Wisdom Published: 4th April 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Issa knows the desert better than anyone else. He lives there and makes his money guiding people across it. One day Issa’s life is changed when he comes across a riderless camel and a baby girl. The girl, Mariama stays in Issa’s care and when he begins to go blind she becomes his eyes. Together they continue to […]

Anna Branford & Sarah Davis Violet Mackerel Series Walker Books ISBN: 9781921977572 RRP: $19.95 Age: 6+ Key Words: Environment, Friendship Published: 1st July 2013 Reviewer: Kylie Calwell Violet and her best friend Rose love playing at the park. They love to collect the acorns. Then something terrible happens, people turn up to measure the tree. They say they are going to cut it down so that a carpark can be built there instead. Violet and Rose decide they need to think […]